The Scumbag Who Bowed for Money (GL , ABO) - Chapter 7

It was six in the morning.

Relying on pure working-class determination, Xie Yuanwei pulled herself out of bed. She carefully lifted the arm draped over her and waited until she was sure Le Shi was still asleep before getting up.

“What should I make for lunch today?” she wondered aloud.

Opening the fridge, she took out some of the ingredients they had bought at the supermarket the day before. She remembered seeing people at the office bring their own lunches and thought it would be a good idea to prepare something for Le Shi too. Eating takeout all the time couldn’t be healthy.

Still in her pajamas, Xie Yuanwei ran a hand through her messy hair and slipped on an apron with practiced ease. She hummed softly as she began to prepare both breakfast and lunch.

She was so focused that she didn’t even notice when Le Shi entered the kitchen.

“I forgot to grab a thermal lunchbox,” Xie Yuanwei muttered as she turned around. She nearly bumped into Le Shi, who shrank back slightly in surprise.

“Slow down.”

Xie Yuanwei quickly steadied her by the waist, gently pulling her back.

“Careful, don’t fall. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

Le Shi placed her hands on Xie Yuanwei’s chest, looked up, and said in a low voice, “That’s because I didn’t want you to hear me.”

“Why not?”

Xie Yuanwei let go of her and bent down to grab the lunchbox.

“Are you here to check if I cooked well?”

“No.”

Le Shi’s voice softened, then she took a deep breath and spoke more clearly.

“I didn’t want to disturb you. I wasn’t feeling well and thought I’d come get a little pheromone comfort.”

Xie Yuanwei had only recently learned how to control her pheromones. She tried not to release too much, especially at night, worried that if her scent—sweet and citrusy—stuck to Le Shi, people might get the wrong idea.

Although, they weren’t entirely wrong.

Xie Yuanwei released a small amount of pheromones. She turned off the stove and walked over to gently lift Le Shi’s arm. She rolled up the sleeve and saw red rashes already spreading across her skin. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she stopped herself and simply pulled Le Shi into a hug.

She gently rocked her a little.

“Don’t you have any medicine to help with this? You keep breaking out in hives. I was only gone for an hour. How are you supposed to make it through the entire day?”

Xie Yuanwei rested her chin on Le Shi’s shoulder. Then a thought occurred to her, and her eyes lit up.

“Isn’t there a way to extract pheromones? Maybe I can do that for you. What do you think?”

“No.”

Le Shi immediately raised her hand to stop her, speaking firmly.

“I’m telling you, that’s not something you should do. Pheromone extraction can seriously damage your glands. You should have learned this in biology class.”

Xie Yuanwei looked like she was about to cry.

“I was a terrible student. Really bad. I don’t remember anything.”

Le Shi couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled her sleeve down and said, “I’m fine now. It’s nothing serious.”

“But you really don’t have to go out of your way for me.” She covered her arm and lowered her gaze.

“You’re being so kind, it doesn’t feel real.”

That comment actually stumped Xie Yuanwei. She sighed silently. She just wasn’t able to act like the original version of herself anymore.

Trying to change the subject, she smiled.

“I made you lunch. Want to see if it suits your taste?”

“You probably eat takeout every day. It’s not clean. Homemade food is better.”

She pulled Le Shi over and introduced each dish enthusiastically. Then she leaned closer to her ear, her voice playful and sweet.

“You can give it a try. I think it turned out pretty well.”

She handed Le Shi a spoon. The omega felt the weight in her hand and looked down at the steaming food, then glanced at Xie Yuanwei. She didn’t make any move to eat.

“You… don’t like it?”

Xie Yuanwei bent slightly, meeting her gaze. Seeing Le Shi still hadn’t touched the food, she assumed it wasn’t to her liking.

“Just let me know what you want tomorrow. I’ll take this with me to work instead.”

She reached out to pack it up, but once again, Le Shi stopped her. Her hand gently landed on Xie Yuanwei’s arm. Then, with a slight tremble in her fingers, she took a small bite. She turned her head to look directly at her.

“It’s delicious. Let me have it.”

“Really?” Xie Yuanwei still hesitated.

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, right?”

Le Shi set the spoon down. Her hair had been tied up loosely, with a few strands falling along the sides of her face. She glanced over calmly, took a few steps back, and placed her fingertips on the edge of the counter.

“This is my home. Why would I try to please you?”

After saying that, she left the kitchen without looking back. Her steps were hurried.

Xie Yuanwei thought about it for a moment and sighed.

“She’s right. This is her house. I’m just the one staying here, eating her food for free.”

She shrugged and joked quietly to herself.

“Getting a little too comfortable, aren’t we?”

For breakfast, Xie Yuanwei had made porridge and boiled some eggs. But Le Shi only ate a little before saying she had to go to work. No matter how much Xie Yuanwei tried to convince her, she refused to eat the remaining egg.

Even while driving, Xie Yuanwei couldn’t let it go.

“Why won’t you eat it? You’re so picky.”

Le Shi crossed her arms and glared at her. She pressed her lips together and finally snapped in a low voice.

“Be quiet. Stop talking about it.”

Xie Yuanwei, still in a good mood, waited for the red light, then carefully placed the egg in plain sight, right in the middle compartment of the car.

There it stood, wobbling slightly but never falling, a soft-boiled egg that somehow looked… kind of cute.

Le Shi scooted a little closer to the window but couldn’t stop looking at that egg. She bit her lip as if having a silent argument with it. The egg and the omega stared at each other all the way to work, neither backing down.

When Xie Yuanwei parked the car, she saw the look on Le Shi’s face, then looked at the egg. She quickly reached out to grab it and said in a teasing tone,

“Alright, alright. If you won’t eat it, I’ll have it myself.”

“Wait.”

Le Shi’s voice was calm and flat. She reached out and lightly beckoned with a finger.

“Give it to me.”

Xie Yuanwei raised an eyebrow playfully but didn’t argue.

“Wow, got snatched away at the last second.”

“Hmph.”

Le Shi took the egg, turned her head away, and walked straight into the office building with her lunchbox in hand.

Their new driver parked the car and waited a few minutes before quietly following her inside.

“Morning,” he said.

A few people greeted Xie Yuanwei, but the very next second, they were pulled back by their companions.

Xie Yuanwei didn’t mind at all. She sat down and had just turned on her computer when a pop-up about Omega Day appeared again.

What kind of holiday was this?

She opened her browser and typed in the keywords. After reading through a few entries, she finally understood. Omega Day was a nationally recognized holiday. Among the designated observances for the three secondary genders, Omega Day was a day to express warm wishes to omegas. People often gave them flowers or small gifts.

Most commonly, people gave flowers. Sometimes, strangers on the street would offer kind wishes, and by the time omegas got home, their arms would be full of fresh blooms.

“So that’s what it is,” Xie Yuanwei muttered.

She thought for a moment and was about to order flowers on her phone but hesitated.

“Ordering might not express how sincere I really feel. Maybe I should go buy them myself.”

She could clearly feel that Le Shi’s attitude toward her had softened. It was obvious she had been touched by her charm.

Xie Yuanwei felt motivated again. She was determined to prove herself and become a model alpha.

That morning, she accepted a task, but for someone like her, it was nothing difficult. She completed it quickly and submitted it to her team leader. As expected, it was approved without any problems.

By noon, she still hadn’t received any messages from Le Shi, so she figured it was a good time to go buy flowers.

She remembered seeing several flower shops nearby and strolled through the streets, taking her time until she spotted one. Only then did she stop.

“Hello, are you here to buy flowers?” the shop assistant greeted her with a smile.

Xie Yuanwei nodded and smiled back politely.

“Yes. Today is Omega Day, right? I’m not too familiar with it. Could you recommend something?”

The assistant understood immediately.

“Who are you buying them for?”

That question made Xie Yuanwei pause and think for a few seconds. She licked her slightly dry lips, then confirmed after a moment of hesitation.

“For a very close friend.”

“In that case, bellflowers are a nice choice,” the assistant said as she reached for a bouquet.

But Xie Yuanwei suddenly remembered something and stopped her.

“Roses, please.”

She looked at the red roses and nodded.

“Yes, those. I think they suit my friend perfectly.”

The roses were bold, vivid, and full of passion. To Xie Yuanwei, they reminded her of Le Shi. Beautiful, strong, and just a little fierce.

The assistant didn’t ask further questions. She simply asked how many flowers Xie Yuanwei needed, wrapped them up nicely, and handed the bouquet to her with a smile.

“Here you go. Please take care.”

“Thank you,” Xie Yuanwei said with a nod.

She carried the large bouquet of red roses and walked slowly back toward the company, deliberately avoiding others. Her destination was clear: Le Shi’s office.

At that moment, Le Shi’s assistant was trying to organize the many flower arrangements that had been delivered. She was feeling overwhelmed and had planned to move them all out of sight. Just as she was about to do that, she looked up and saw Xie Yuanwei walking in with another bouquet. For a moment, she was stunned.

She knew about the situation between Xie Yuanwei and Le Shi. She also understood that Le Shi wanted to maintain the engagement and keep Xie Yuanwei close, but still, if Xie Yuanwei really tried to take this further, she couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

She had known Le Shi for many years, and her loyalty was firmly with her.

She also knew just how unreliable someone like Xie Yuanwei could be.

“You brought flowers too?” the assistant asked, reaching out to take them.

But Xie Yuanwei gently pulled the bouquet away and explained patiently.

“President Le said she doesn’t accept flowers. Look at all these down here. You should give them to me.”

Xie Yuanwei looked at the piles of flowers on the floor with an indifferent expression.

She said coldly, “I’m the kind of person who insists on running into walls. Unless I hear her reject me with her own mouth, I won’t believe it.”

The assistant frowned.

“Why would I lie to you?”

“It’s not about lying,” Xie Yuanwei replied, stepping forward confidently. She nudged the assistant aside and moved toward the office door.

“I just believe that our President Le is still willing to be kind to me. If she won’t accept them, I’ll take care of it myself.”

The assistant didn’t try to stop her any further. After all, Xie Yuanwei still had the backing of the Xie family.

Still, watching Xie Yuanwei walk in with that attitude, she couldn’t help but think she looked exactly like the proud and rightful consort claiming her territory.

Confident and proud.